Apologies received from Thelma Snelgrove, Ginny Eaton and Iain Raymond.

Treasurer's report: Thelma sent a message that we have around £650 in the bank. We have just spent some money on flyers for the fire station protest. Collection at meeting raised £55. £20 donated to the Hub for room use.

It was reported that hot meals at Staines Community Centre ended on Friday. A New SOSIS campaigner was speaking at Spelthorne Council that night on their petition against closure.

Staines Fire Station - the campaign is really gathering steam. The protest on Saturday 21st January was very well attended. Possibly 200 there - mainly local people. Good coverage in Surrey Advertiser/Get Surrey.

There was further discussion on the importance of retaining current fire and rescue cover and plans were agreed:

SOSIS will set up a stall outside the public meeting on 7th Feb to give out flyers and collect names. Volunteers needed. A number of questions have been submitted. Only questions submitted by 27 January will be accepted.

A day of action will be held in Staines on Saturday 18th February from 11am-2pm. All political parties are asked to support. We would like stalls set up all through the high street showing the unity and spread of support on this issue. We may also be able to get the Fire Brigades Union fire engine for the day. Local fire fighters will also be asked to join us. All welcome.

It was agreed to circulate Richard Walsh's address (available on public website) and encourage residents to write to him with their concerns. Walsh is a county councillor who sits on the Fire and Rescue group. His address is 23 Old Forge Crescent, Shepperton TW179BT.

UPDATE: Since the meeting, we have heard that Spelthorne Council and our MP have written an open letter condemning the proposed fire service cuts. The planned campaigning activities agreed at the SOSIS meeting must go ahead to keep up the pressure. It is having an effect. The lobby on 23 Feb should now be a major community protest against Surrey County Council's plans and Spelthorne's councillors and MP should be there protesting with us.

Council Tax increase and SOSIS position - Paul introduced the subject of the proposed 15% council tax hike and referendum. There was unanimous support for a clear position of opposing the increase and demanding that the government returns the billions it has stolen from local government since 2010. Whilst we understand that some may see no option but to vote yes to preserve public services, we cannot support this rise which will be unaffordable for many. At present it looks like all Surrey political parties except the Tories will be opposing the increase. A press release will be sent out to this effect.

SOSIS Elections Charter - the meeting unanimously agreed to re-endorse the election charter (which can be found on our website), with just a couple of factual amendments (such as changing 'ConDems' to Tories). Currently, point (3) of our charter is very relevant: 'To oppose any unaffordable increase in taxes...to offset austerity cuts'. We are also opposed to any cuts and call on councillors to refuse to make them. All County Council candidates will be asked to endorse our charter and we will, as usual, advertise the list of supporters on our website.

Health Campaigns Together (HCT) - the meeting agreed to affiliate to HCT at a cost of £50 and to subscribe to their newsletter (100 copies per quarter at a cost of £30). We will also try to mobilise people for the #OurNHS demo in London on 4 March. Volunteers will be sought to meet people at the various main train stations in Surrey and to gather as a group at Waterloo.

Truth About Zane - Liz gave a brief update. Further evidence continues to surface and Kye and Nicole are not giving up. Fiona Dent and Andy Burnham have taken up their case.

Surrey Rangers - there is a threat to cut the number of wildlife rangers in Surrey but we do not yet know the details. We agreed to publicise these cuts and support any campaign against them.

Staines Fire Station protest Sat 21st JanThe mood of the protest was angry and determined. Firefighters, local residents, anti-cuts campaigners and their families all gathered outside Staines Fire Station to shout a loud NO! to the County Council. Over 200 people had come with just a couple of weeks notice to this demo. Councillor Robert Evans had called the protest. Robert, a Lib Dem councillor, Paul Couchman of Save Our Services in Surrey (SOSIS) and Jez, a local firefighter, spoke about the proposals to cut our fire safety cover even further than previously threatened.According to the Surrey firefighters:

The Staines fire engine is the busiest engine in the whole of Surrey.

Staines firefighters alone have saved the lives of five people this year.

Spelthorne has the:

Worst record of fire deaths in Surrey.

Highest concentration of tower blocks.

The busiest roads and most congested bridges connecting to the rest of Surrey.

Some of the worst pockets of deprivation.

The most dangerous stretch of river.

The highest concentration of vulnerable adults who cannot self-rescue.

The busiest airport in Europe.

A new waste incinerator being built and; It borders the West London Oil Storage Depot (bigger than Bunsfield)..

Surrey County Council (SCC) initially refused to hold a public meeting this time around but public pressure has forced them into calling a meeting at the Staines Council Offices on 7th February. It is possible that this meeting could be hundreds strong and force the council to back down.SCC have also recently announced plans to raise council tax by a whopping 15% - will they stop the cuts and closures if this goes through? Of course not. This will just be a sticking plaster over a gaping wound. They are determined to make cuts and will use the referendum as an excuse when it returns a no vote.Save Our Services in Surrey does not accept the need for cuts in public services or massive rates increases.Paul Couchman said:"The wealth of the richest 1% of the population has grown whilst the rest of us suffer wage cuts, unstable employment conditions and austerity. This government, and their representatives on local councils, have made cut after cut in public services - in health, education and social care amongst others. People will not take it any more. The trade unions, alongside residents associations and community groups, need to draw a line in the sand and say: no more cuts."If the Tories in Spelthorne borough and in Surrey County Council get away with axing our fire service here in Spelthorne then they will come back for more, and more ... until there are no publicly owned and democratically run public services left. We have no choice but to fight."The fact that Spelthorne has once again been targetted for deeper cuts than the rest of Surrey was not lost on the audience.Again, local firefighters explained:"Under the current proposals Spelthorne will only have one of the 35 Surrey appliances. The average for each of the eleven boroughs will be three. To put it another way, Spelthorne residents will be paying for fire cover across Surrey when they will only have a single engine. The generally less well-off borough subsidising the more wealthy areas yet again".

The protest pledged to build the opposition to the proposed immediate closure of Staines station and to campaign vigorously for Spelthorne to continue to have two full-time appliances.It was agreed to vuild for the public meeting on 7th Feb and to make the lobby of Spelthorne council in Knowle Green on 23 February at 6.30pm the biggest protest ever seen in Staines. SOSIS and the FBU, along with local firefighters, other trade unions and local residents associations will be building for this over the next few weeks, as well as promoting the petition on the SCC website and encouraging people to individually lobby their local councillors.Anyone who would like to help distribute flyers or get involved with SOSIS should visit www.sosis.org.uk or email Paul at saveourservicessurrey@gmail.com.Paul CouchmanSave Our Services in Surrey and Staines Socialist Party

First of all - there has been an important development in the campaign to save Staines Fire Station. The council were previously refusing to hold a public meeting but the strength of public feeling has led them to change there position and now they have called a public meeting:

This is from Spelthorne Council's Facebook Page:Staines Fire Station – public meeting In response to comments received from residents about the planned closure of Staines Fire Station, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Spelthorne Borough Council has arranged a meeting to discuss Surrey County Council’s proposals for the Fire Service in Spelthorne. Residents and interested parties from the local area are invited to attend the public meeting being held at 7.30pm on Tuesday 7 February in the Council Chamber at the Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames.The meeting will be chaired by Councillor Colin Davis from Spelthorne Borough Council. Representatives of Surrey County Council will be in attendance including Councillor Richard Walsh, Cabinet Member for Localities and Community Wellbeing and Councillor Kay Hammond, Cabinet Associate responsible for Community Safety Services, and from the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, Russell Pearson and Clive Whitethread. Residents who would like to ask a question at the meeting should email it in advance to the Committee Manager, Gillian Hobbs, at g.hobbs@spelthorne.gov.uk by 27 January. Alternatively, post your question to Gillian Hobbs, Committee Manager, Spelthorne Borough Council, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB by the same date, 27 January. Due to the high number of questions expected there will only be time available to hear questions which have been submitted in advance. Cllr Colin Davis, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said: “This is an important issue of natural concern to local residents. The meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to express their concerns and the County Council Cabinet Members to explain the logistical background to what is obviously a controversial proposal."

You can visit and register on their page here: https://www.facebook.com/spelthornebc/?fref=nf

PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ATTEND THIS MEETING. IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SEND IN A QUESTION YOU WANT TO ASK ON THE NIGHT.

SOSiS will be holding a Steering Committee meeting on Weds 25 January at The Hub, Thames Street, Staines - to discuss plans for the campaign and the forthcoming lobby. These meetings are open to anyone who wants to help practically with our work.